The Contemporary Old Bailey

We had a strong preference as in our favorite Shanghainese restaurant in town, so guess that’s the reason we never came around to try the food at Old Bailey, a chic restaurant (not far away from our go-to place) specializes in Jiangnan cuisine, which essentially encompasses Shanghai and its proximity (though we did find it to be a nice place for a quick drink in the neighborhood with its quiet setting)

Great Food By The Street Corner

The only thing that stopped us from trying Cornerstone earlier was their no-reservation policy, but we took our chances one Friday evening and tried to get our table, and surprisingly, we were promptly seated in the cozy dining room at the site formerly occupied by a sushi joint with only a quick 15-minute wait.

Yakitori in Tai Hang

We came across this izakaya while wandering in this Tai Hang neighborhood looking for a place to eat. What caught our eyes first was this place seems to be relatively packed while most other places looked like half deserted, so we figured that's a good indication of the food quality.

Green for a night

Last week I attended yet another Green Monday dinner hosted by Ming Court of The Cordis. It's not my first time trying the meatless menu prepared by Chef Li but this time I got to taste a few of the new dishes. And even better as they put us up in the private room for a more cozy setting.

Yakiniku Night

We wanted to find somewhere nice to eat in Central on a Friday evening and made a last-minute booking at Yakiniku Jumbo while heading over. The restaurant was considered one of the more exciting openings last year with its original branch in Tokyo was known to be a mecca for yakiniku cuisine – Japanese-style grilled meat, so to speak. I have tried their lunch menu previously and loved my bowl of curry beef donburi, and I always wanted to go back to check out their more elaborate dinner menu, featuring various cuts of wagyu with most of the dishes prepared on a grill at each table.

Dinner Near the War Zone

With random passersby being beaten by batons and tear gas firing aimlessly at protestors just a couple blocks away from where we sat and ate, we were not in particular joyful mood to enjoy a nice dinner at this new restaurant near Soho. But we got on with our original plan – figured one still had to eat no matter what circumstances, right?

Private Kitchen Dinner

We had a great dinner at the home of Chef Edgar Sanuy Barahona a couple of weeks ago. While Chef Edgar may not be a household name in Hong Kong’s restaurant scene he’s the force behind many successful ventures over the years, from the now-defunct (but acclaimed) BCN to Mercedes Me to his latest project Pica Pica (a tapas bar in Sheung Wan). He also started this new project called Privat, serving meal in a "supper club"-like format for his guests once a month right at his residence in Sai Kung. Strictly by referrals, and thanks to our friend V, who organized this and invited us in.

Sushi Sase

Sushi is always a convenient choice whenever I am by myself and need something quick and nice to eat. And recently I popped by an old favorite of mine at a new location in such a situation. Sushi Sase is probably one of the first, and the last standing, of the earlier waves of fine sushi restaurants in town, starting off in the corner of Lyndhurst Terrace - Hollywood Road junction around 10 years ago by a sushi master from Hokkaido.

Chinese at Airport

Making a trip to Chek Lap Kok for dinner on a weeknight a few weeks ago reminded me of the days of working at the airport area. Back then the food choices were much limited and quality for most of them meh, but I am glad there are now a few more options available, including a few outlets at Marriott SkyCity which I visited this time - not new anymore by any means but somewhere I haven't been before, somehow.

Free Corkage Night

It’s hard to say no to Free Corkage promotion offered by restaurants when it presented a perfect opportunity for a friends’ night out on a weeknight and an excuse to pop open some of our own bottles. I have been to Theo Mistral at Intercontinental Grand Stanford at TST East a few times since the change of concept and renovation a few years ago and it’s one of my favorites in this neighborhood.

Express Lunch

It's unfortunate that my line of work (in my full time job) didn't take me to as many fine-dining places as I would like to, but here's one rare occasion that I got to join some of my industry peers over at a business lunch at Pierre of MO not long ago. Not my first time dining inside the private room on top of the hotel with perfect view of the harbor skyline and the city, but this time I realized the setting is just perfect for a casual, small group luncheon, with space to mingle and a comfortable long table for a sit-down meal in a cozy room at the back of the restaurant.